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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30093087">It's Not Kidnapping if It's in Good Faith</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButtonByte/pseuds/ButtonByte'>ButtonByte</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Touhou Project</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Betaed, Crossovers &amp; Fandom Fusions, Depressed TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Dream's an ass in this one y'all, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), F/F, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kinda? Not exactly, Magician Tommyinnit (Video Blogging RPF), Manipulative Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Sad Toby Smith | Tubbo, Suicidal Thoughts, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, This is NOT a safe space for Dream Apologists, TommyInnit Gets a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Traumatized TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, and grandma mamizou, big sister marisa time, but she's a grandma anyways, i think that's all, it's complicated - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:54:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,464</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30093087</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButtonByte/pseuds/ButtonByte</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"“What do you want?” The Bake-danuki knew that when Marisa even attempted to sound formal, she wanted something. She wasn’t even good at hiding it, she’s an overly casual woman even in the most serious scenarios. There’s no way in hell she doesn’t want a favor from the youkai.</p><p>“Jeez, straight to the point, aren’t ya? Well, guess I won’t dawdle then. I do happen to have a question for you.”</p><p>“Well?”</p><p>“I wanna go to the outside world, just for a day.”"<br/>---<br/>In which one Marisa Kirisame, the ordinary magician, travels to the outside world for a day and returns home with a new little brother.</p><p>And one Tommyinnit, an exiled boy, gets a new home and new family.</p><p>Certain chapters may be tagged with specific content or trigger warnings, so make sure to check the notes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hakurei Reimu/Kirisame Marisa, Kirisame Marisa &amp; Tommyinnit (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>120</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I Don’t Think We’re in Gensokyo Anymore, Toto</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marisa has Mamizou take her to the outside world.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome to chapter one, idk how many chapters this fic will have but. hehehehehe<br/>No warnings this chapter</p><p>Song for this chapter: Touhou Remix P.71 (Folk) Futatsuiwa from Sado</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s rare, these days. The ones where it’s warm and bright, a light breeze rattling the trees and their golden leaves. The days where there’s no gunfire, no light shows, and no incidents. The days where everyone is relaxed, not an ounce of tension in the air.</p><p>	It’s days like these where Mamizou finds herself sitting on her porch, a warm cup of tea in hand and a plate of sweets at her side. She can see a few of the little pups running around, playing in the fallen leaves and climbing the trees. They’re energetic little things, but she can handle them. Yes, it’s days like these she loves. The calm and quite-</p><p>	“MAMIZOUUUUU!”</p><p>	Ah. There goes the afternoon.</p><p>	Marisa Kirisame the Light Magician, in all her 4’2” glory, came barreling out of the sky. She tried to land just in front of Mamizou, but had to course correct around one of the tanuki, and ended up making a rather large dent in the ground as she skid to a stop. Face flat in the dirt.</p><p>	She sat up suddenly, seemingly unaffected by the dirt and scrapes littering her face. She gives a quick apology to the pups that she startled, before quickly getting to her feet and sweeping the dirt off her dress.</p><p>“Mamizou! Miss Futatsuiwa! My favorite tanuki, how are-”</p><p>“What do you want?” The Bake-danuki knew that when Marisa even attempted to sound formal, she wanted something. She wasn’t even good at hiding it, she’s an overly casual woman even in the most serious scenarios. There’s no way in hell she doesn’t want a favor from the youkai.</p><p>“Jeez, straight to the point, aren’t ya? Well, guess I won’t dawdle then. I do happen to have a question for you.”</p><p>“Well?”</p><p>“I wanna go to the outside world, just for a day.”</p><p>“... Did Reimu tell you-”</p><p>“Reimu told me no.”</p><p>“So you’re coming to me, why am I not surprised?” Mamizou sighed, but kept an amused smile on her face. She was never one to pass up a chance to mess with humans.</p><p>“Actually I asked Sumireko too, but she has school.”</p><p>“So why should I say yes?” Mamizou was also never one to pass up a chance to mess with Marisa.</p><p>“Please please plleeeasseee take me, I promise I won’t cause trouble, I just wanna see what the humans are doing these days. I know that they have such cool things and I gotta know Mamizou, I gotta-”</p><p>“Alright, alright, quit your begging. Doesn’t suit you.” She laughed out before standing, brushing off her skirt. She was a good foot taller than Marisa, but that wasn’t exactly impressive, considering the blonde’s miniscule height.</p><p>Mamizou quickly changed to her human disguise, then began walking, Marisa following behind like a duckling. It didn’t take long to reach the place Mamizou usually left from, a small area where the barrier was weakened, tucked away on the outskirts of The Bamboo Forest of the Lost.</p><p>“So, where do you wish to go?”</p><p>“Hm… I don’t know, I didn’t think I’d get this far.”</p><p>“We could always venture out into modern day Japan, though I must admit we might stick out.”</p><p>“Then… How about we go somewhere random!” Marisa jumped up, quite literally vibrating out of her hat.</p><p>“Random?”</p><p>“Yeah! Just take us somewhere completely random out in the world! I don’t care where, I just wanna see it!”</p><p>“Alright, alright, quit your hollerin’ you child.” Marisa pulls a face, but Mamizou pays her no mind. Crossing the barrier can be a difficult task, even with portions of it being weakened. Mamizou might know her ways around it, but there’s always a risk involved. And attempting to go somewhere outside Japan? It could have consequences. Consequences like not being able to get back…</p><p>“Marisa, are you absolutely sure you want to do this? It could be dangerous.”</p><p>“I mean yeah, of course I wanna go out-”</p><p>“Marisa. I need you to be serious here. Once we leave the barrier, we might not be able to get back. Are you absolutely positive you wanna take that risk?” The magician took a step back, her laid-back smile dissipating as she thought. Then, almost as quickly as it faded, it returned full force.</p><p>“Mami, you’re like, the most powerful tanuki in the world. You can cross the barrier whenever you want and not even Reimu can stop you. Even if you get us stuck for a while, you’ll get us back out.” </p><p>With Marisa’s reassuring words, Mamizou grabbed Marisa’s hand and walked forward, through the barrier and out into the world. Somewhere new, somewhere random.</p><p>Somewhere really fucking cold.</p><p>Despite Gensokyo being temperate at the beginning of winter, this place was freezing. Mamizou was fine, with her long dress, coat, and scarf. But Marisa? She was in a shorter skirt and short sleeves, shaking like a flag in the wind. </p><p>And speaking of flags, that was the first thing that caught their eyes. A large flag, flying in the December wind. It had blue, white, and red stripes, with a sideways, angular yellow heart on the left side. It was a cute little symbol, though neither woman knew what country it represented.</p><p>They followed the wooden path they landed on, passing by a variety of buildings in a variety of different styles, making their way towards the flag. It was odd, each building looking like it was built by a different person. There was no uniform style to this town. Marisa adored how lively it felt, how personal each building appeared. </p><p>There were multiple towers, each reaching up into the clouds. Houses of all colors and materials and sizes, each saying volumes about their owners. There was an open building full of materials, most likely a place for the community to gather together. A large white building with huge pillars on the outside was marked as a ‘museum’, and a smaller white building was marked as a ‘church’, in a style remarkably similar to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The place was so full of history, and Marisa had to know it all. She especially wanted to know what the hell a ‘museum’ was.</p><p>Finally reaching the flag’s location, Marisa and Mamizou landed at one of the most beautiful towns they’d seen. It was built on stilts over a huge crater, one that definitely had an interesting story behind it. Each house was built in a uniform style, made of wood and stone. There was a lake as well, with a small fountain in the center. There were even lanterns floating in the sky, red and white and blue.</p><p>But that wasn’t what caught their attention, no. What caught their attention was a person standing in the town center. Clawed hands, sharp teeth, a long tail and a pair of sharp horns. They were freakishly tall and their body was split down the middle, half black and half white. A black, three piece suit and a golden crown adorned their body. The most striking feature was their eyes, one bright green and the other blood red. This wasn’t a human-</p><p>This was a youkai. A youkai surviving outside of the barrier, outside of Gensokyo, living amongst humans with no disguises.</p><p>“What. The. Fuck.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Follow me on Twitter for updates @button_byte<br/>and on Instagram for art @buttonbyte<br/>Feel free to send feedback, make fanart, ask for specific tags, or point out typos/mistakes! all are welcome. :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. “Mamizou?” “Yeah?” “Are You Sure We’re in the Right Place?”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marisa and Mamizou look around L'manberg! As well as explore some other areas</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning for Mentioned Animal Death. Starts at "In the ruins" and ends at "A house was here". Keep yourself safe lovelies &lt;3</p><p>Song of the Chapter: 888 - Cavetown</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They weren’t sure how long they’d been standing there, staring at this youkai, but it was certainly long enough to be seen as creepy. Or downright terrifying, if you asked Ranboo.</p><p>	Speaking of the Enderman, he was currently locked in a staring contest with a child in a witch Halloween costume and her… mom? It was December, what the hell was going on- He’s never even seen these people before! It’s not unusual for people to give him funny looks when they first meet but this is just plain rude-</p><p>	“Yo, Ranboo, you good man?” Ranboo was startled out of his little contest by Quackity, something he was infinitely grateful for. He’s certain that he would’ve stood there forever if someone didn’t break him out of his own thoughts.</p><p>	“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, there’s just some… weird people here. I haven’t seen them around before and they keep staring at me like I have three heads.” Ranboo points back to the pair, who’ve switched to staring at Quackity and the fluffy yellow wings on his back. Weird…</p><p>	“Don’t sweat it bro, I’ll take care of it, give ‘em a tour if they want.” The older hybrid rolled his shoulders and walked over to the pair, who still appeared star-struck. “Eyyyy ladies, haven’t seen you two ‘round here, ya new in town?”</p><p>	Marisa wasn’t sure if her translation charm was working, was she hearing this right? A half youkai just walked up to her, out in the open of the outside world, and just said hi? How was this even happening! How was he out here! What if a human saw him? What if-</p><p>	“Ah, we’re just passing through dearie. I apologize for our behavior, we’re just a little… surprised, is all. Meeting youkai outside of the barrier.” The folk god elbowed Marisa in the side, startling her out of her shocked state.</p><p>	“Ahem, yeah. Sorry. It’s just weird to see y’all just… out here, y’know?”</p><p>	Now it was Quackity’s turn to be confused.</p><p>	“The hell’s a youkai? I’m just a duck hybrid.” He looked at the two women, who in turn looked at him. The two gave each other a look, then continued to look at Quackity like he’d been speaking spanish. He was speaking English, wasn’t he-</p><p>	… this was awkward.</p><p>	“How ‘bout I give you two a tour around New L’manberg, huh?”</p><p>	“That sounds delightful.” Mamizou followed the duck half-youkai, with Marisa catching up after she was once again snapped out of her amazement.</p><p>	New L’manberg was a cute little settlement, full of color and flowers. There was a sewer, a former home to a spirit that was once a founding member of L’manberg. His library was full of books, Marisa almost stole a good few but held herself back. They passed a bee farm, a half-youkai tending to the hives and flowers, exhaustion in his shoulders. There was a white house as well, though Marisa didn’t understand the significance. </p><p>	Marisa’s favorite place in New L’manberg was a quaint little bakery run by this lady named Niki. She has all kinds of different goods, including bread with strawberries in it. That day, Marisa officially upped her Bread’s Eaten count to 14. </p><p>	At the end of the tour, the young half-youkai from the bee farm met up with the group. He had small horns growing on his head, long, floppy ears, and burn scars running down his right side.</p><p>	“Sorry I couldn’t join you all, I wasn’t expecting guests today. Still, I hope you enjoyed our country.”</p><p>	“Tubbo, man, how long has it been since you slept?”</p><p>	“Uhh… A good few days?”</p><p>	“Jesus man! Go sleep! I know you’ve been stressed with your presidential shit, especially since Tommy… well… left, but you need to sleep!”</p><p>	“But-”</p><p>	“Eh eh eh-” Quackity put a finger up to Tubbo’s mouth “You go sleep. Hell, maybe in the morning you can go ask Dream if you can see Tommy!”</p><p>	“Yeah…” The president nodded slowly, before turning around and walking back towards the white house. Once he was gone, Quackity let out a long sigh before readjusting his beanie.</p><p>	“Don’t worry about him too much, we’ll make sure he’s taken care of. If you wanna explore further, you can head up to the main nether portal down the stone path. There’s a whole system of pathways and portals so you can get around, just beware of the Pigmen. And the Magma Cubes. And the Ghasts.” With that, Quackity made his way back into town, leaving the two outsiders to their own devices.</p><p>	A horrible decision, really.</p><p>	Once the duck man was gone, Marisa immediately started sprinting down the stone path, Mamizou lagging behind slightly.</p><p>	“PORTALS, MAMIZOU! HUMANS CAN MAKE PORTALS?! TO THE NETHERWORLD?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME!”</p><p>	“To be fair, last I checked they couldn’t. This is certainly a new development.”</p><p>	“WELL THEN HURRY UP, GRANDMA! WE GOT PORTALS TO SEE!”</p><p>	After running down the path and past a castle, they came across the portal in question. It had a black, rock frame, and a glowing purple substance contained within. When Marisa reached out to touch it, it felt like a warm liquid floating around her hand. There was no movement, no displacement, just liquid sat in place, defying all known laws of physics. Marisa stepped into the liquid fully, letting it rest on her hat and shoulders.</p><p>	Next thing she knew, dry, hot air was hitting her face, making her sweat immediately. This… this wasn’t the Netherworld she knew. The terrain was made of red rock, oceans of lava between each land mass. Marisa could see an odd forest in the distance, and the residents of this world. The only thing keeping any travellers from falling into the lava below was a series of walkways, each made of a variety of materials. No railing either, what a mess.</p><p>	“Hm. I believe we may be in a layer of Hell that the humans have named ‘The Nether.’” Mamizou appeared behind Marisa, making her jump and almost sending her into the ocean of death below.</p><p>	“JEEZ! Don’t sneak up on people like that, Mami! Almost gave me a heart attack!” She quickly whacked the Tanuki on the head with her broom, before leaving the hub area of the “Nether”.</p><p>	“I don’t get it, how did they end up here? Wouldn’t Eiki’ve noticed that someone was messing with Hell?” The magician asked, finding a random path and walking down it. There were a few denizens of this layer along the path, but they quickly ran after seeing the folk god and the magician.</p><p>	“There are many, many layers of Hell. Some of which remain untamed by Eiki and The Ministry of Right and Wrong. It’s entirely possible that this layer is unknown by her and the ministry.”</p><p>	“Even still, there are tons of youkai here, don’t you think they’d complain about humans just… being here? Probably taking resources and killing their people?”</p><p>	“Like I said, considering that this area seems untamed, it’s likely that the ministry doesn’t know it exists, and thus it’s people don’t know that the ministry exists.”</p><p>	“That’s sad, but at the same time, they got here with what, some rocks? Put into a specific formation? Honestly if it’s that easy to get here, I say let them have it.” Mamizou laughed at that, Marisa laughed at that, someone else laughed-</p><p> </p><p>	Wait, who just laughed?</p><p>	Marisa grabbed her Tanuki friend and pulled her back, behind some of the red stone that made up the Nether. There, waltzing his way across one of the more fragile parts of the path, was a tall… inhuman man in a green sweater and a white mask, a smiley face crudely drawn onto the surface. He was covered in soot and ash, purple armour covering his body, some sort of material that neither outsider had seen before. He was laughing to himself, and once he was out of sight, Marisa immediately looked at where he came from.</p><p>	Across the rickety log bridge was a soft purple light. Another portal, Marisa noted. She looked around to make sure that the masked man had left, then started booking towards the other portal. Nothing good ever followed someone eviling laughing to themselves, especially if that someone was a man.</p><p>	Marisa turned back to give Mamizou a look, to which Mamizou nodded. They needed to be ready for anything to be on the other side of that portal. Whatever type of youkai that man was, he was strong, and he could’ve done anything. They stepped into the liquid, cool this time, and braced for the worst.</p><p>	It was just as bad as predicted.</p><p>	A crater, no, multiple craters surrounded the area, each one beginning to fill with water from the pouring rain. The water was slowly washing away the ash, as well as the smell of gunpowder. In the ruins, Marisa could spot bits of wood and fabric. There was even the corpse of an animal. A cow, covered in mushrooms, killed by the explosion. His nametag read “Mushroom Henry”. A house was here, someone was living here and now it’s been destroyed. </p><p>	Marisa felt sick to her stomach.</p><p>	“Ah- Marisa? You may want to see this…” Mamizou called out, standing in front of a thin and frail tower of wood, leading high into the storm. Marisa could make out a silhouette at the top.</p><p>	‘Oh gods,’ she thought, ‘there’s no way down from there, that person is going to die.”</p><p>	Hopping into action, Marisa got onto her broom and began making her way into the air, fighting against the rain and wind. She slowed her ascent as she neared the top, not wanting to startle whoever was up there and cause them to fall. And when she finally reached the top…</p><p>	“Hey, you okay?” The kid looked at her, and let out a weak</p><p>	“No.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Follow me on Twitter for updates @button_byte<br/>and on Instagram for art @buttonbyte<br/>Feel free to send feedback, make fanart, ask for specific tags, or point out typos/mistakes! all are welcome. :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. What’s With This Sassy… Lost Child?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marisa meets the boy at the top of the tower, and Tommy gets someone to talk to.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning this chapter for implied suicide, it's not super heavy but it is there.</p><p>Remember to keep yourself safe lovelies &lt;3</p><p>Song of the chapter: Today Today - Jack Stauber</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Now, face to face with the person- the child- on top of this tower, Marisa could feel her blood boiling.</p><p>	He was covered in scrapes, bruises, and mud, soaking wet and shivering in the winter rain. He was tall, but so, so skinny, looking more like a skeleton than a person. His clothes were in tatters, ripped and even missing a shoe. There were a pair of cuts on his left cheek, unwrapped and still open. His nose was severely broken, a fresh cut still spreading blood across his face. His hands were covered in burn scars.</p><p>	And yet, despite all of that, it was his eyes that hurt the most. Stormy grey and dead looking, not a bit of light or hope left in them. Whatever happened to this kid, Marisa was gonna make sure it didn’t happen again.</p><p>	There was tense silence between the two, before the young boy spoke, his voice rough and broken.</p><p>	“Why are you here?”</p><p>	“Huh? What do you mean?” </p><p>	“Why are you here? How are you here- you’re just…” The boy gestured vaguely at Marisa’s broom.</p><p>	“I got a question for you, why are you up here? What the hell happened?”</p><p>	“It doesn’t matter.” He replied a bit too quickly, “Just… Just go away. It won’t matter in just a little.” Marisa absolutely hated the way he stared down at the ground.</p><p>	“No way pal, I can tell that you-” She poked him in the chest, “-need some help. And luckily, helping people with problems is something I do pretty regularly.” The magician was determined now, she was going to get this kid off this tower, even if it meant catching him on the way down. “So tell me, what happened here?” </p><p>	The kid took in a deep breath, before looking down at his lap, “I… I fucked up. It’s my fault, so you don’t need to worry.” Marisa swears that she hears him mumble ‘it’s always my fault’.</p><p>	“You’re the one who blew everything to high hell?”</p><p>	“No, no, that wasn’t me, that was… that was Dream.” He whispered that last bit, before quickly picking up again, “But it’s not his fault! It… it was mine. I should’ve hidden things from him. He was just trying to help me when no one else cared and I… I went behind his back and lied to him.”</p><p>	“This… Dream, does he happen to wear a crappy white mask? With a stupid face on it?” Marisa saw the boy freeze, but then she heard a soft giggle. Success!</p><p>	“Yeah he wears a mask… How did you know that?”</p><p>	“Saw him in that nether place, that’s how we found this… disaster zone. And you.”</p><p>	“We?”</p><p>	“I’m travellin’ with a friend, she’s down at the base of the tower. Here, how ‘bout I give you a ride down and you can meet her, hm? Maybe tell us some more about this place.” She gave the boy a soft smile, hoping it would soothe him. It didn’t seem to work.</p><p>	“No- no no no wait I- I’m not supposed to have visitors right now- and I can’t break the rules again or Dream will- he’ll-” Oh. Oh this wasn’t good.</p><p>	“Hey hey, it’s fine kid. If the comes back then we’ll just say we were passin’ through, no harm done, right?” He paused to think, looking conflicted, before he looked back up at Marisa and nodded.</p><p>	“Alright then kid, Hop on!” Marisa turned herself to the side, giving the boy a good angle to hop on her broom. He hesitantly looked at the thin length of wood, before placing his hands on the handle and swinging his leg over the side. Marisa felt the weight shift, and quickly adjusted. Unfortunately, the kid did not, losing his balance and tilting to the side. He quickly caught himself by wrapping his arms around Marisa’s shoulders, shaking like a leaf in the wind.</p><p>	“Woah, woah- Okay, you’re okay kid. Just hold on tight.” The magician began moving back down, slowly making her way past the craters and to more solid ground. It was when she landed that she realized just how tall the kid was, watching him rise at least two whole feet above her. Jeez, what was this place, land of the giants?</p><p>	Mamizou walked over to the two, quickly spotting the tall, shivering boy.</p><p>	“Ah, glad to see you safe and back on the ground. I’m Mamizou.” She gave him a kind smile, hoping to coax a name out of him.</p><p>	“Oh, uh- I’m Tommy.” Success.</p><p>	“Oh shoot- I’m Marisa, it’s a real pleasure to meet you Tommy.” The kid- Tommy- seemed to lighten up a little at the introduction, but still kept guarded. Smart kid.</p><p>	“So, dear, why don’t you tell us about what happened here? It’s a real tragedy.” Tommy looked at Mamizou cautiously, before sitting down in the wet grass.</p><p>“I… I was exiled from my home. Dream brought me out here. He put rules in place, said that I couldn’t hide things from him. But I did, I broke the one major rule, and I got punished for it. I shouldn’t even feel bad, it was my own stupid fault, but…”</p><p>“Wait wait wait, back it up, exiled? You’re a child, why the hell would you be exiled?”</p><p>“I’m not a child!” The child shouted back.</p><p>“Yeah, right, but seriously, why would they exile you?”</p><p>“So I decided to prank someone by robbing their house-”</p><p>“Ah, a classic. Nice.”</p><p>“... And I accidentally set the house on fire.” Marisa stared at Tommy, who just fiddled with his hands.</p><p>“... That’s it?”</p><p>“What?” Tommy seemed shocked at her answer.</p><p>“That’s it? You started an accidental fire? And you were EXILED? Mamizou, am I hearing this right?”</p><p>“You are indeed. I agree, that’s a bit ridiculous. Accidents happen.”</p><p>“Well, it doesn’t matter now… Dream was my only friend, and I betrayed his trust.” Now THAT caught the pair’s attention.</p><p>“Friend? I don’t think friends blow up their friend’s homes or pets.”</p><p>“He- He was only doing it for my own good-”</p><p>“That, and we visited a little place called ‘New L’manberg’ before we came here. Someone mentioned having to ask Dream if they could see you. Seems to me like this ‘friend’ of yours is just an asshole.” </p><p>“N… No… Dream was here to help me, to watch me-” Tommy cut himself off, seeming to come to a realization, “He was only here to watch me…”</p><p>“Oh, dear…” Mamizou went to rub Tommy’s back, but he flinched. Gods, what did that man do to this poor boy?</p><p>There was a moment of silence, before Marisa abruptly stood up.</p><p>“Alright, screw this. Mamizou, we’re going back to Gensokyo,” She held out her hand to the young boy, “and we’re takin’ Tommy here with us.”</p><p>“What?” “Excuse me?” They asked in unison</p><p>“You heard me! We’re getting you out of this hell hole. You don’t deserve to be stuck in a crater, with some jackass who just wants to keep you in this place. So whaddya say, kid? Wanna come to Gensokyo with us?”</p><p>Tommy looked at Marisa, the gears clearly turning in his head, before he spoke once more.</p><p>“But Dream-”</p><p>“I think it’s best you forget about him dear.” Mamizou also stood, bringing Tommy up with her. “Where we’re going, he won’t be able to find you.”</p><p>“I… Sure. But only for a little.”</p><p>Smiling at their success, Mamizou grabbed both Marisa and Tommy’s hands. </p><p>“Now, crossing the barrier may feel a bit odd, but just hold on tight, alright?” With Tommy’s nod as confirmation, Mamizou reopened her spot in the barrier, pulling both Tommy and Marisa back into Gensokyo.</p><p>Suddenly, the air turned temperate, a light breeze ratting the still forest of bamboo around them. The sun was high in the sky, not an ounce of rain hitting the ground. The grass was green and soft when Tommy reached down to touch it, no soot or blood or blue anywhere in sight. And as Tommy looked out across the terrain, he could see distant structures. A small town just beyond the bamboo, a small temple-like building settled on top of a hill, a ginormous mountain range, the closest with another temple at the top, and he swears that if he looks hard enough, he can see what looks like a wall nestled amongst the bamboo. This place was beautiful, much more so than the Dream SMP had ever been. Marisa could see the tiniest bit of light returning to the boy’s eyes, and she gave him a light pat on the back.</p><p>“Welcome to Gensokyo, kiddo.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Follow me on Twitter for updates @button_byte<br/>and on Instagram for art @buttonbyte<br/>Feel free to send feedback, make fanart, ask for specific tags, or point out typos/mistakes! all are welcome. :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Mushroom Waltz</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy gets taken to his new home and gets himself cleaned up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning for mentions of abuse and a minor bit of suicidal ideation.<br/>Keep yourselves safe lovelies &lt;3</p>
<p>Song of the Chapter: Is It Raining Somewhere? (Produced by Spin Master Mugen)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What… What is this place? Am I dreaming? This has to be a dream-” Marisa laughed at the teen’s wonder, while Mamizou stepped in to actually explain.</p>
<p>	“This is Gensokyo, the land of mystery. It’s where us youkai- and some humans- live, away from the outside world and outside technology. Youkai cannot live amongst modern science and technology, so we live here to survive.”</p>
<p>	“Youkai? What’s a youkai?” Tommy turned to Mamizou. God, in the sunlight he looked awful, they needed to get this child cleaned up-</p>
<p>	“Ah, well, guess there’s no reason to hide anymore.” Mamizou was shrouded in a puff of smoke before reappearing, her human disguise gone, her ears and tail visible now. Tommy’s face was quite the sight, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.</p>
<p>	“Youkai are supernatural beings. Monsters, demons, spirits, all of us are youkai. I, myself, am a tanuki, as well as a minor folk god.” Mamizou began to walk towards the forest of magic, Marisa and Tommy trailing behind. “We were quite surprised, really, seeing so many youkai outside the barrier. But so many things were different, maybe it wasn’t the outside world I’d seen before at all.” As the tanuki mused to herself, the trio walked through a large field, an orange, red, and yellow covered forest being their destination.</p>
<p>	Looking around more, Tommy could see the sun beginning to set, the orange and yellow light illuminating some birds. No, not birds, people! With wings! Just like Phil! He tugged on Mamizou’s sleeve, then pointed to the flying people.</p>
<p>	“Ah, looks like Aya is on the prowl again. Let’s hurry along then, unless you want a camera shoved in your face.” Mamizou began walking faster, they were almost at the forest and, by extension, Marisa’s home.</p>
<p>	“They have wings! Are they immortals?”</p>
<p>	“Immortals?” Marisa gave Tommy a look.</p>
<p>	“Yeah, like Phil! He has wings and he’s like, suuuper old. Are they immortal too?”</p>
<p>	Marisa and Mamizou looked at each other, “No dear, she isn’t immortal. Aya is a tengu.”</p>
<p>	Tommy looks a little disappointed as he lets out a little “oh”, and they continue along.</p>
<p>	It didn’t take long for the group to reach a quaint house in a clearing of the forest. It was built in a european style, made of stone and wood. There was a huge dome on the roof of the house, with a large tube coming out of it. There were flowers and mushrooms surrounding the whole structure, a huge tree by the front door, and what looked like a pumpkin patch around the back. It also had… two chimneys? Alright then-</p>
<p>	“Well Marisa, this is where I’ll take my leave. Need to make sure that all the pups get gathered up before dark. I trust that you’ll be able to keep an eye on our new friend?”</p>
<p>	“Yeah yeah, we’ll be fine. I’m great at taking care of people.” Marisa struck a proud pose, which was quickly wiped away when Mamizou laughed at her.</p>
<p>	“Just don’t try to poison him, alright?” And with that, Mamizou took her leave, walking off into the trees.</p>
<p>	“Well, why don’t we get you inside and cleaned up, eh kid?” Marisa heard Tommy mumble something about not being a kid under his breath, but she elected to ignore it.</p>
<p>	Opening the front door, Tommy was faced with a storefront, a bit messy, but a store nonetheless. It was full of little knick knacks and items. Through the door behind the main counter was the actual house, with a living space, a kitchen, a staircase, and another room beyond a closed door. Marisa led the teen to the closed door, which revealed a very rudimentary bathroom behind that.</p>
<p>	“Here, you can get yourself cleaned up. I’m gonna leave you here for a little, alright? Gotta go see if I have any clothes that might fit you, or at least any clothes I don’t care about modifying for you.” Tommy nodded at Marisa, and she closed the door behind her.</p>
<p>	Looking at the tub, Tommy noticed that it was already full of water, but there weren’t any faucets or a drain. Wouldn’t the water be cold? How did the water get drained anyways?</p>
<p>	And yet, to Tommy’s surprise, the water was pleasantly warm. Well, after everything he’s seen today, he’s not gonna question anything anymore. Besides, he’s finally getting all this mud and dirt and blood and other shit off him. He’s wanted to tear his hair out for days now, it’s been so knotted. He’ll just let himself enjoy this magic bathtub for now.</p>
<p>	Meanwhile, Marisa was searching her study. See, she’d stolen- <em>borrowed</em> some clothes from her good friend Rinnosuke a while back, and he’s super tall just like Tommy. If only she could find it-</p>
<p>	Her study was an absolute mess, covered in books and scrolls and stray pieces of paper. There were all kinds of magical knick knacks strewn about as well, things that Marisa had made or found with the intent of further study. She also had several items that she’d stolen from Kourindou, things from the outside world that piqued her interest. Maybe Tommy could explain some of it to her, now that he was here.</p>
<p>	Eventually, she found the clothing she’d taken from Rinnosuke. It wasn’t much, just a simple white undershirt and a pair of black pants, and looking at them now Marisa came to the realization that these would probably be big on the kid, considering how skinny he is. Still, it was the best she had, unless she wanted to use an enlargement spell on some of her own clothes. Though she doubts that Tommy would want to wear a dress or skirt.</p>
<p>	Running back down the stairs, she set the outfit on the floor in front of the bathroom before knocking. “Hey, I found some clothes for you. They’re outside the door. I’m gonna get started on some dinner so just holler if you need anything, alright?” She heard a quiet “alright” from beyond the door, then left to her kitchen, thinking of what she could make quickly and easily.</p>
<p>	Tommy didn’t mean to start dozing off, but he’s glad that Marisa gave him a little scare. It’d be a shit way to go, drowning in a magic bathtub because he got a little too comfortable. (A dark part of his mind tells him it’d be fitting, but he tries to shut it out.) He begins scrubbing away at the dirt covering him, and he’s amazed when the water stays clean, despite the fact it should be completely brown by now. Washing out his hair is a pain, since it’s absolutely caked in dirt and tangled to shit, but he manages. Man, his hair is getting long…</p>
<p>	Tommy can see his fingers beginning to prune, and he’s gotten most of the grime off of him, so he decides that he should probably get out now. He dries himself off with one of the towels he finds hanging on the wall, and carefully opens the door, just a little. Indeed, he finds some clothes sitting there, neatly folded. </p>
<p>	The clothes are awfully big on him, clearly made for someone both taller than him and… well, not as skinny as him. The sleeves cover his hands and hang off his shoulders, and the neckline sags down his chest a little. He has to roll up the pants to make sure he doesn’t trip, and he could really do with a belt if he’s honest. Still, the clothes are clean and comfortable, a major upgrade from his old outfit, which now sat torn and dirtied on the floor.</p>
<p>	Exiting the bathroom, the teen can see Marisa standing in her kitchen, a pot of something on the stove. Whatever it was, it smelt… really good. Tommy realized just how hungry he was, living off nothing but scrap meat and whatever he could gather for the last… god, he didn’t even know how long he’d been away from L’manberg.</p>
<p>	He gently cleared his throat, and Marisa turned to look at him. “Ah! I figured that Rinnosuke’s clothes might be… Well, at least it’s somethin’, right?” She gave him a bright smile, before turning back to her pot. “Go ahead and sit down, dinner’s almost ready. Thank the gods that magic exists, really speeds up the whole process.”</p>
<p>	Tommy took a seat at the table, which was a bit awkward since he was so much taller than the magician. Still, he waited patiently for Marisa to finish cooking. Patience had never been his strong suit before exile, but in the days he’d been alone, he’d certainly learned something about it. So he kept quiet, he didn’t want to upset the woman who'd taken him in so kindly. (He didn’t want to upset Dream, Dream hated it when he’d bother him, Dream hated it when he just wouldn’t shut up-)</p>
<p>	He was shaken from his train of thought when a bowl was set in front of him, filled with mushrooms and meat and carrots. It smelled amazing, looked amazing too. He watched as Marisa grabbed a bowl for herself and a pair of spoons for the both of them, sitting across from Tommy.</p>
<p>	She looked at the boy across from her, who gave her a cautious look. “If you’re worried about the mushrooms, I actually tested them this time. They aren’t poisonous.” </p>
<p>Tommy gave her a shocked look, but shook his head. “No, no it’s just… This is for me? I can have this?”</p>
<p>“I mean… Yeah, of course. What, do you think I’d just set food in front of you and then tell you that you couldn’t have it?” Marisa was getting concerned now, especially considering that Dream person and Tommy’s gaunt state.</p>
<p>“I mean, sometimes Dream would restrict my food when I misbehaved…” Oh, Marisa was going to skin that man.</p>
<p>“Well, I’m not Dream, so eat up. There’s plenty leftover if you want seconds.” Marisa watched as Tommy looked back down at his stew and took a bite. Then another, and another, and another. Small victories.</p>
<p>They ate in silence for the most part, Marisa attempting to make small talk on occasion, though Tommy didn’t say much besides a simple yes or no. Tommy only ate the one bowl, but looking at him Marisa could tell that he was already beginning to feel better. Well, better in most areas.</p>
<p>His hair was an absolute mess. That’d need some fixing.</p>
<p>“Alright, it’s gotten pretty late, so let's get you to bed, eh kid?” Tommy looked at her, before standing and following Marisa upstairs. There were quite a few rooms, but Marisa led him to one at the end of the hall. It was a small bedroom, a bit of dust sitting in the air. There was a single bed, rather large and comfy looking, and a closet in the corner, filled with some chests. The window across the room was open slightly, a cool breeze passing through the room.</p>
<p>“This is my guest bedroom. It’s not much, I know, but it’s somethin’.” Tommy walked over to the bed, feeling the blankets. They were soft, so much softer than the thin piece of shit he’d had at Logstedshire.</p>
<p>“It’s… It’s great. Thank you, Marisa.” He gave her a soft smile, a bit on the strained side. He sat down on the mattress, sinking down into it. Oh yeah, this was way better than Logstedshire.</p>
<p>“Before you lay down, mind if I brush your hair? It’s a bit of a bird’s nest.” She laughed at her own joke, and even coaxed a little giggle out of Tommy.</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah, sure. Just… just try not to tug.” Tommy looked down at his hands, fiddling with his fingers.</p>
<p>“Of course kiddo.” Marisa quickly moved to her bedroom, grabbing one of her brushes and walking back to Tommy’s room. He was sat on the other side of the bed now, back to Marisa, looking out the window at the moon. </p>
<p>“Alright Tommy, I’ll try my best not to tug but we gotta get rid of these knots, alright?” When Tommy gave her a quick nod, she set to work, starting at the bottom of his hair and working her way up. It was surprisingly easy to work through, the knots easily coming undone. She supposes that a little water, soap, and magic can really go a long way.</p>
<p>Once brushed out, his hair was significantly longer than first thought. It was brushing over the tops of his shoulders. It’d probably need to be cut, but that was for another time.</p>
<p>“Alright, all brushed out. That’s probably way more comfortable.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it is. Thanks, Marisa.” Tommy turned to her and flashed her a quick smile, rubbing the back of his neck, then fiddling with the long hair back there.</p>
<p>“No problem kid,” She stood up, walking back towards the door, “Now, go ahead and get some sleep. Those bags under your eyes look like they weigh tons.” </p>
<p>“Alright… Goodnight, Marisa, and thank you again for… getting me out of there.” ‘Thank you for saving me’, he thinks, but doesn’t say. Marisa walks out and closes the door behind her, leaving Tommy alone in his new room.</p>
<p>He slipped under the covers, and the bed was even more comfortable than he thought. It reminded him of the first night he spent with Phil, the first night he’d ever slept in a bed his whole life. It reminded him of when he first met Wilbur, begging him for food and threatening to hit him with a stick. It reminded him of when things were happy, when Wilbur was his brother and Phil was his dad, when Phil wasn’t gone for weeks on end, when Wilbur was still sane and alive-</p>
<p>He cut off that train of thought before he worked himself into another sleepless night. Now wasn’t the time to reminisce or think about what could’ve been. As fair as Tommy knew, there was no way to change the past, so it was useless to even think about.</p>
<p>Snuggling deeper into the blankets, Tommy looked out the window, at the moon. When he was in exile, he’d always hated it, the way the sky was so clear and full of stars. The light of the SMP always hid them, and it just reminded him of how utterly alone he was.</p>
<p>Now, laying in a proper bed, with clean clothes, Tommy found comfort in the stars as he drifted off to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Follow me on Twitter for updates @button_byte<br/>and on Instagram for art @buttonbyte<br/>Feel free to send feedback, make fanart, ask for specific tags, or point out typos/mistakes! all are welcome. :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Land of Mystery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy has a nightmare, and the pair go to visit Reimu.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Heavy warnings this chapter for both physical and verbal abuse, as well as drowning, starts at "Water." and ends at "Shh... It's alright little one,"<br/>Keep yourselves safe! Ily all &lt;3</p><p>Song of the Chapter: CHIRP - C418 ( LOFI - REMIX ) - JickoProduction</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Water. Freezing, pitch black water is surrounding him. It’s filling his lungs, clouding his vision, pulling him deeper and deeper to the sea floor. Why does he always wake up like this? The taste of salt filling his mouth and stinging his eyes, fighting for his life every single fucking day before the sun is even up.</p><p>	But he can’t reach the surface this time, he can’t get air. He’s struggling and struggling but his arms feel like jelly, and the light above him is getting dimmer and dimmer as he sinks lower and lower.</p><p>	He figures that this would’ve happened eventually. He must’ve dove into the water from his tower and passed out, dreamt up a whole other world with people who actually cared, people who rescued him-</p><p>	Suddenly, there’s a pair of hands around his neck, dragging him up and out of the water. He’s roughly thrown onto the beach, the beach of Logstedshire with sand that’s been mixed with gunpowder and debris. </p><p>His eyes are filled with salt, his lungs are filled with water. He can barely see who’s above him, but they give him a sharp kick to the stomach. He starts coughing, sea water pouring from his mouth and nose. It stings, his throat feels like it’s being ripped apart. He wants to cry, he wants to scream-</p><p>“I can’t leave you alone for a fucking second, can I? Look at you, you’re a mess.” He can finally see who’s above him, the telltale white mask giving him all the information he needs to know.</p><p>“You’re so pathetic, Tommy. No wonder no one ever wanted to visit you. You’re an annoying little shit who does nothing but piss people off, but the second you’re alone you break down.” Dream grabs his hair, and starts dragging him back towards the craters that used to be Logstedshire. He’s too tired to fight back, the exhaustion setting into his bones and weighing him down so harshly that he’s certain he’s been turned to stone.</p><p>“I tried to help you, Tommy. I was trying to teach you, mold you to be someone better. Maybe then Tubbo would actually care, maybe then you wouldn’t cause problems everywhere you fucking go.” Dream throws him into one of the deeper craters, the one where his tent used to be. “But no, all you do is lie and steal and be a menace. Things were so much better around here before you showed up!” He can’t do anything but watch, watch as Dream pulls out more TNT and a lighter.</p><p>It feels like he’s watching in slow motion as Dream lights the TNT and throws it into the pit, right at his feet. He can hear Dream saying something but he can’t hear it, all he can hear is the sizzle of the fuse and his pulse pounding in his ears. He closes his eyes, he doesn’t want to die, he wants to go back to his dream, back to that fantasy land-</p><p>“Shh… It’s alright little one. It’s time to open your eyes.” He hears a soft voice speaking to him. There’s no more TNT, no more rough stone under his body, he almost feels like he’s been wrapped in a warm blanket.</p><p>“It’s time to wake up, little one.”</p><p>When Tommy woke up, it was in a cold sweat. He shot up in bed, the sun blinding him as he opened his eyes. ‘Oh, so it was a nightmare…’</p><p>He wasn’t at Logstedshire anymore, or in the SMP. He was in this new place. What was the name again…? There’s still sleep clogging his mind, and gunk clogging his eyes.</p><p>He stood up warily, the floor cool under his feet. He considered getting back in bed, curling up and staying there the whole day, but he could smell something cooking and his stomach was screaming at him to go and see what it was.</p><p>He reluctantly left his room, quietly walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. Marisa stood there, her hat gone and hair a bit messy from sleep. She was cooking a lot for breakfast- had Tommy slept until the afternoon? There was rice and soup and some fish, it felt more like a lunch.</p><p>Marisa eventually took notice of him, giving him a cheerful smile. “Hey you! I was kinda expectin’ you to sleep longer, considering how worn down ya looked, but you’re up pretty early!” She turned back to her stove, where she was cooking three pieces of fish, it looked like salmon.</p><p>“It’s… morning?” Tommy asked, confused. Fish? For breakfast? I mean, it’s not that odd, but considering what his usual breakfast was it was certainly… different.</p><p>“Yep! Now go ahead and sit, breakfast is almost ready.” Marisa continued finishing up the food, soon placing a good few plates and bowls on the table. There was a bowl of soup with white cubes and some greens floating in it, a bowl of rice, some grilled salmon, a plate with some cucumbers on it, and a cup of what looked like tea, albeit a type Tommy hadn’t had before.</p><p>“This… This is breakfast?”</p><p>“Yeah? What else would it be?” Before she sat down, she checked the other whole portion of food still on the counters, carefully putting it on the stove to keep it warm.</p><p>“Well, it’s just… This is a whole lot of food.”</p><p>She sat herself down across from Tommy, quickly putting her hands together in a praying motion and bowing. Tommy mimicked her actions, and he heard her chuckle. “Right, I suppose there’s a lot you don’t know about Gensokyo. Don’t worry, I’ll teach ya everything you need to know.”</p><p>Tommy decided to start with his bowl of soup first, carefully taking a sip of it. It was light and simple, but also pretty salty. A good way to wake up in the morning, he supposed. He took a bite of the white cubes and the greens too, finding them to be quite soft. It was good, even better than the chicken soup Wilbur used to make, though he’d never say that outloud.</p><p>“So,” Marisa started, still taking bites of her own food, “We have a few things on the agenda for today. First, I need to bring this food to Reimu. I’ll introduce y’all too, since it’ll probably be for the best that she knows you’re here now.” Tommy nodded along, moving to start on his salmon.</p><p>“Next, we’re gonna stop by the river and go see the local tailor. You,” She pointed at him with her chopsticks, “need some new clothes. Clothes that actually fit you, this time.” After that brief exchange, the two finished up their meals and cleaned up. Marisa packed up the food she’d been keeping warm on the stove, and walked upstairs to get herself properly dressed. </p><p>She came back down in a similar outfit to yesterday, but still different. She was wearing a long-sleeved blouse and a vest, the sleeves puffy and the vest fairly loose. She was also in a longer skirt and apron, as well as some long socks and boots. Compared to her, Tommy felt awfully underdressed. </p><p>“So, none of my shoes will fit you, but that’s fine! It’s faster to fly anyways.” Marisa walked past him and out the door, grabbing her broom on the way out.</p><p>“We’re going to fly? Won’t it be hard, carrying two people?”</p><p>“Maybe a little, but just hold on and you’ll be alright.” Marisa straddled her broom, motioning for Tommy to hop on. He had to crouch down a little to sit on it, since he was so much taller than the magician, but he managed it. He held onto Marisa’s shoulders, preparing to take off.</p><p>“Alright, here we go!” Marisa took off, speeding towards the temple-like building Tommy noticed yesterday. Unfortunately for the boy, he wasn’t prepared for just how fast Marisa was going to go. He ended up hugging Marisa with a death grip around her waist and his face hidden in her shoulder. He could hear Marisa laughing at him, but there was no way in hell that he was gonna let go.</p><p>“Hey, it’s alright, open your eyes kid.” Tommy hesitated, but lifted his head and looked around. </p><p>The view was breathtaking. He could see so much from up here. He could see the rolling fields of green, patches of wildflowers dotting the terrain. There was a large sunflower field near the bamboo forest from yesterday, and there was a river just beyond the small town he saw, he figured that was the river the tailor lived near. This place was so pretty compared to the SMP, filled with so much life…</p><p>“Hey Miss Marisa!” Tommy swears that he nearly jumped off the broom.</p><p>“Oh, heya Sunny. What’s up?” There was a little girl flying next to them, a pair of large, insect-like wings on her back. She couldn’t be more than nine years old. </p><p>“We’re doing alright, Miss Marisa!” Another nine year old flew up next to them, sounding sort of tired. This one had wings shaped like crescents and curled, blonde hair. There were now two flying children on either side of them, boxing them in.</p><p>“Who’re you?” Tommy felt a hand on his shoulder, and he swore that his soul left his body. A third little girl appeared a mere few inches from his face, her hair long and black and her wings were shaped like butterfly wings, but were pure white like the other two’s.</p><p>Before Tommy could say anything, Marisa spoke up. “Tommy, these are the three fairies of light. That one’s Sunny Milk,” she pointed to the first girl- no, fairy, “that one’s Luna Child,” she pointed to the second fairy, “and that’s Star Sapphire on your shoulder. This is Tommy, girls.”</p><p>“His face is all cut open-”</p><p>“Is he from the village?”</p><p>“Do you think his bones would make a good ladder?”</p><p>“Alright, alright, y’all can ask Tommy all the questions you want later. I need to go see Miss Reimu, alright?” A chorus of disappointed noises came from the trio, but they said their goodbyes and flew away, leaving Tommy to contemplate why the hell that Star girl wanted his bones.</p><p>Soon, the pair came to the front of the building on top of the hill. They flew under a red archway and down a long path, tons of trees lining the stone walkway. Marisa landed right at the steps, hopping off the broom. Getting a better look at the building, it was built in a Japanese style. Tommy had seen pictures of buildings like this one, but he’d never actually been inside one.</p><p>Marisa quickly hopped up the steps and threw open the door, waltzing inside like she owned the place. Tommy followed her hesitantly, scared that he’d upset whoever this “Miss Reimu” was.</p><p>“Oh Reimu~” Marisa walked over to a futon in the back of the room, shaking the person laying in it. They grumbled sleepily, and tried to slap Marisa’s hand away. “C’mon, it’s time to get up for the day. I brought you some breakfast so you didn’t have to make any, and I brought a surprise!”</p><p>The person in the bed- Reimu- sat up slowly. She had long black hair and light brown eyes, almost looking red if he looked closely enough. She was in a simple white robe, one that looked pretty soft.</p><p>She stood up, making her way to another room, not seeming to acknowledge Tommy. He decided that it’d be best to just stand back and stay out of her way, he wouldn’t want to make her upset. She came back out of the room with a pair of cups and a teapot in hand, setting them on a very low table and kneeling on a pillow in front of it. Marisa also knelt down, beginning to unpack the food she’d made earlier that morning. Once she was done, she glanced over at Tommy and motioned for him to sit with them.</p><p>It was only once Marisa had drawn attention to his presence that Reimu finally noticed him, staring at him blankly then glaring at Marisa.</p><p>“Marisa?” </p><p>“Yes Reimu?”</p><p>“Who’s that boy?”</p><p>“Oh, that’s Tommy. I was just about to introduce him to you-”</p><p>“Marisa.” Reimu said again, this time a bit more forceful. Marisa looked nervous. <strong>“Where did he come from?”</strong></p><p>
Uh oh.
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Holy shit this blew up more than I was expecting-<br/>But uh. Hell yeah Touhou Time-</p><p>Remember to follow me on Twitter for updates @button_byte<br/>and on Instagram for art @buttonbyte<br/>Feel free to send feedback, make fanart, ask for specific tags, or point out typos/mistakes! all are welcome. :D</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Staking Your Life On A... Prank...?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy talks with Reimu and learns a little more about Gensokyo.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning this chapter for flashbacks and mentions of abuse and animal death. keep yourself safe lovelies &lt;3</p><p>Sorry about any formatting issues, I'm posting from mobile.</p><p>Song of the Chapter: Panic Room (Acoustic) - Au/Ra</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The air in the room was a tense nightmare. Reimu was glaring at Marisa like she could murder her with just a look, Marisa was nervously smiling like she could still charm her way out of this situation, and Tommy just wanted to disappear. This was far too similar to the energy that Pogtopia always had…</p><p>    Marisa threw her hands up, waving them around frantically as she stumbled through an explanation. “Well- Well I might’ve gone to the outside world with Mamizou- Though I don’t think it was… the right outside world?”</p><p>    “... Marisa. What did you do.”</p><p>    “Hey! It wasn’t my fault! Mamizou’s the one who took me out there!”</p><p>    “Not that, Marisa.” Reimu had stood up by this point, walking over to a smooth pole that was leaned against the wall. It had some white ribbons tied around it.</p><p>    “I- Well-” Marisa paused, gulping before she admitted the truth, “Yeah, Tommy’s from the outside. I brought him here.”</p><p>    Reimu was holding the pole now, a very displeased look on her face. Before Tommy could add to what Marisa said, she was on the ground, being whacked with the pole.</p><p>    “YOU BROUGHT AN OUTSIDER! INTO THE BARRIER! WE HAVE THE BARRIER FOR A REASON!”</p><p>    “Well I couldn’t just leave him out there!” Marisa tried to defend herself, both from the accusations and the physical assault.</p><p>    “You don’t know where he’s been! He could have diseases! He could bring destructive technology! He could bring more outsiders and collapse the barrier!”</p><p>    While the argument was going on, Tommy’s mind was… elsewhere.</p><p>    He was back in Pogtopia, the walls covered in buttons and grime and ash. He was back in that horrible ravine, trying to help his best friend recover from the fireworks that Technoblade- someone he’d looked up to, someone he’d idolized- had fired at him point blank. He was back in that cave, desperately trying to convince Wilbur to stop, trying to convince him against destroying everything he’d fought for.</p><p>    He was trapped all over again with a man he once saw as his brother, a man that belittled him, that screamed at him, that never cared about him, that left him-</p><p>    Tommy flinched when he felt a hand land on his shoulder, bringing him back down to earth. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest- when’d he start hyperventilating?</p><p>    “Hey, kid, you still there?” Tommy could see that Reimu had moved right in front of him, a concerned look lacing her face.</p><p>    Tommy took a few deep breaths before speaking, “Yeah… Yeah I’m fine. I’m sorry you just- you just reminded me of… something.”</p><p>    Reimu sighed before patting Tommy’s shoulder, “Sorry about that whole display. Marisa only seems to listen to people who scare her, though sometimes it… backfires.” Reimu glanced over her shoulder at the magician, who was rubbing her head. When she noticed Reimu looking at her, she put on a cocky grin and winked. Weird…</p><p>    “So, uh, Tommy, right?” He nodded, signaling her to continue, “Why’re you here? Did Marisa kidnap you?”</p><p>    “Well- Uh- I-” Tommy didn’t know why he was stuttering, he never did this kind of shit before, “She- She offered to bring me here… Or, more like- more like take me away from… where I was.” Reimu gave him a look before she stood and moved back to her table, motioning for Tommy to sit down as well. She pushed him a cup of tea and looked at him expectantly. He took that as his cue to share his little sob story.</p><p>    “I was… I was a citizen of this small country- I was one of the founders, actually- and I… I fucked up so they exiled me. I wanted to pull a small prank against this guy named George, take some stuff from his house, draw some shit on the walls, the standard stuff. But… But something went wrong and a fire started, and I…” Tommy took a long pause before continuing, his voice no louder than a whisper, “I pissed off my best friend, who was the president. So he exiled me.”</p><p>    The teen looked towards Reimu to gauge her reaction. She seemed… Unimpressed, to say the least. </p><p>    “So you… put your entire life at risk for a… prank?”</p><p>    “I didn’t mean to- I didn’t want to set his house on fire! It just… Happened.” Tommy looked down at his hands, muttering “A lot of fires seem to happen around me…”</p><p>    That last comment earned a variety of reactions. Marisa seemed intrigued, her mind wandering somewhere Tommy didn’t know. Reimu looked concerned, which made sense, her house was wooden and thus, flammable. The pair of fuschia eyes that were peering up through the floorboards looked amused. Tommy elected to not question whoever that was, he’d already seen enough today thank you very much.</p><p>    “I should… I should probably go back, anyways…” The blond began fiddling with his hair, “Dream- He won’t be happy with me leaving… And if I’m just gonna cause issues, might as well cause them where I can’t hurt anyone anymore, right?” Tommy didn’t like how his voice cracked on that last word, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to go back to the SMP. He didn’t want to go back to Logstedshire. He didn’t want to go back to Dream…</p><p>    Reimu shot a glance at Marisa, who nodded her head towards the door before turning to Tommy. “We’re going to step outside to discuss… whatever comes next, alright? Just stay here.” Tommy nodded, and the two women both stood and walked out to the patio, closing the door behind them. Tommy decided that he’d just drink his tea and try to ignore whatever demon was under the floorboards, still staring at him.</p><p>    “Alright, what’s going on here?” Reimu pulled Marisa to the edge of the patio, whispering to make sure that the child inside couldn’t listen in.</p><p>    “I swear I wasn’t planning on bringing anything back from the outside, but I couldn’t just… leave him there.”</p><p>    “Okay, okay, who’s Dream. Let’s start with that.”</p><p>    “I… Don’t really know. He’s not human, that’s all I know about him. He’d been isolating and abusing Tommy while he was exiled, even blew up Tommy’s home and killed the pet he had there. Both Mamizou and I agreed that we couldn’t just leave him there…” Marisa decided to leave out the part where she found Tommy atop a tower with a certainly fatal drop, figuring that the destruction caused by this Dream guy would be enough to convince the other.</p><p>    Reimu looked back towards the door, thinking about how the boy flinched when she touched him, and how scared he looked when Reimu started scolding Marisa. She let out a heavy sigh, then looked back to her companion.</p><p>    “He can stay. Just make sure to keep an eye on him, alright? I don’t want him to threaten the delicate balance we have going on here. You know how strict we have to be with Sumireko.” Marisa thinks back to when Sumi first appeared with her ‘cell phone’, and how much danger she put all of Gensokyo in. </p><p>    Still, if there are youkai outside the barrier who’ve managed to live alongside humans and modern technology, maybe there’s hope that one day the outside world won’t be so distant anymore. But until then, all Marisa can do is nod.</p><p>    “He didn’t have anything on him besides the clothes on his back.” Marisa turned to walk back inside, before pausing in her tracks.</p><p>    “Oh, and don’t worry too much about him fitting in, I have a feeling that he’s gonna get along just fine in Gensokyo.” Reimu shook her head, but smiled as she followed Marisa back inside to Tommy… And Clownpiece, who was staring holes through his head from under the floor.</p><p>    “Ah, so I see you’ve met Clownpiece.”</p><p>    Tommy sputtered, “There’s a clown underneath your floor?”</p><p> </p><p>    “Actually she’s a fairy. Don’t worry about her too much, she won’t hurt you. Probably.” Reimu sat back down at the table.</p><p>    “That’s not exactly reassuring.”</p><p>    “I know.” Reimu gave him a smug look before picking up a small cracker from the table, tossing it towards the pair of eyes. A child’s hand flew out of the wood at mach speed, nearly breaking the floor in the process. It caught the cracker midair before retreating back into the floor just as fast as it had emerged. Yeah, Tommy was absolutely not reassured.</p><p>    “So. I’ve come to the conclusion that it will be better for you to stay here in Gensokyo, seeing as life outside the barrier seems to be a bit… hectic, for you.” Reimu can see a bit of color return to Tommy’s dull, grey looking eyes. It's an encouraging sight.</p><p>    “Of course, there will be rules. There’s a small village of humans here in Gensokyo. Don’t go anywhere, and I mean anywhere near the village for a solid two weeks, maybe more. I don’t want anyone there getting sick.”</p><p>    Tommy nodded fiercely. He’d do anything to stay as far away from Dream as possible, even if it meant keeping away from any other humans for a month. He’d already done that during exile, he could do it again.</p><p>    “Alright!” Marisa clapped her hands together, turning to the teen, “Now that that’s outta the way, we need to get to the waterfall before it gets too late. Haribako’s a quick worker, but she’ll have my head if I show up in the late afternoon askin’ for a whole new outfit again.” Marisa laughed at her own joke before standing abruptly, sending a wink and a wave Reimu’s way and pulling Tommy up and towards the door. </p><p>    “Hey, Tommy!” The blond in question turned back to Reimu, “Watch out for spiders, alright? And don’t get eaten! I don’t need to deal with that today!”</p><p>    “Wait- wait what’s that supposed to mean-” Before Tommy could get his answer, Marisa took off, flying back through the gate and away from the shrine.</p><p>    Reimu leaned against her door and sighed, a fond smile resting on her lips.</p><p>    “Oh, that kid’s gonna get eaten alive.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry about the lack of updates after the near daily updates for the last 5 chapters. My wisdom teeth have been acting up and I wasn't really in the right headspace to write. Thankfully I'm having my wisdom tooth surgery tomorrow, so updates will continue normally once I recover from that.</p><p>Also... I spilled water on my computer so. whoops lol. Getting a new one Saturday but. Still.</p><p>Follow me on Twitter for updates @button_byte<br/>and on Instagram for art @buttonbyte<br/>Feel free to send feedback, make fanart, ask for specific tags, or point out typos/mistakes! all are welcome. :D</p>
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